A traditional heroine

"Senior, your words are too harsh…."

Annette couldn't stand it anymore and tried to intervene, but Kamian stopped her with his hand.

Kamian was just trying to figure out what kind of nonsense Max was talking about.

"Let's continue."

"You don't have money?"

"…."

Were there people who had lost even these basic manners?

Although his insides were seething, Kamian endured them with extreme patience.

"You work part-time because you don't have money. But you know, what happens when a person with no talent wastes time on part-time work? Will his grades go up or will they fall? The answer is obviously the latter, right?"

"That's nonsense… "

"No, no. You already know. That's why you're anxious."

Kamian's fists clenched.

He was so angry at himself for not being able to deny it right away.

However, he couldn't show that kind of expression in front of this kind of person.

"Enough with the nonsense."

Kamian turned away as if he didn't need to hear any more.

"Annette, let's go."

Annette, who had been watching, quickly followed Kamian.

Max didn't bother to catch them, but he threw out one last word.

"It's good to take care of your self-esteem, but think about your friends next to you too."

* * *

This should be enough for the beginning, I thought as I watched their backs moving away.

Right now, the relationship between the protagonist and me was one of zero favorability.

No, it was definitely a minus.

In this relationship, what could I say that the main character would just understand?

Absolutely nothing.

So what should I do then?

Even if I had to use foul language, I had to make the main character aware of me.

That didn't mean I could just say whatever I wanted.

If I did that, I would just be ignored, and people would think, "What the hell is this nonsense?"

So, I only touched on the parts that would elicit a reaction.

Did it really work?

Judging from the protagonist's reaction, the effect seemed sufficient.

Especially,

"He can't stand the last word."

I chuckled.

Annette Lyell.

I knew her well.

The protagonist's childhood friend and the eldest daughter of the neighboring Baron Lyell.

Although they were both barons, her and the protagonist's situations were a bit different.

The Kreutzer estate was a remote area, mostly mountainous.

On the other hand, Lyell's estate had some usable plains.

That was why the yield of the land itself differed by more than double.

Unlike the main character, this meant Annette had no worries about tuition.

And yet, she was doing unnecessary part-time work with the main character?

There was only one reason.

Because she liked the main character.

'A traditional heroine.'

Childhood friend heroine.

From the beginning, the favorability rating was high. (It couldn't be seen in numbers, but it was practically certain.)

The difficulty of the strategy was zero.

Anyway, this was from the user's perspective, and the setting was that the protagonist had a very common, dull trait and did not know Annette's feelings.

It was a one-sided, unrequited love.

Even so, it was an undeniable fact that the protagonist thought of Annette as a precious friend.

Since I just told him outright that he was bothering his friend, it was impossible for him not to be conscious of it.

"If I wait, the reaction will come naturally."

I got into the carriage that was waiting for me with a smile on my face.

* * *

"…"

"…"

The way back was silent.

Kamian was deep in thought and did not open his mouth, and Annette kept her mouth shut, watching him.

Annette mustered up her courage and spoke first.

"Don't mind that."

"…nerves."

Kamian muttered and turned his gaze to Annette.

"It's just unbelievable. That a person like that would say something like that to me."

A problem student senior he didn't even know well.

A person like that suddenly came to him and started swearing at him, saying things like, "You have no talent, you're doomed, you have no money."

It was natural that it was absurd.

"Really? I think so too."

Annette played the janggu.

Kamian had no talent?

That's nonsense.

From a young age, Kamian was a child who shined brighter than anyone else.

It's the same now.

It's true that he's been having a bit of a hard time with his studies lately, but that's a slump that everyone goes through.

It's not that he lacks talent or effort.

If he overcomes the slump, he will return to the high position again…

"But you know."

Annette's thoughts were interrupted by Kamian's words.

"Huh?"

"Semester starts soon."

To be exact, tomorrow was the first day of the second semester.

"Huh."

"Wouldn't it be better to quit your part-time job once school starts?"

It wasn't the first time Kamian had said something like this.

Because Annette's situation was different from his.

She had money, and he had no money.

It meant that there was no reason to sacrifice time and work part-time.

That's why he tried to dissuade her from working part-time several times.

But every time, she waved her hand and said it was okay.

"No. It's good because I gain social experience, learn about interpersonal relationships, and feel like I'm growing in many ways."

This time too, she expressed her intention to refuse.

That's not wrong.

It is clear that part-time work provides various experiences.

But the most important thing is academics.

It doesn't help.

Rather, it only risks causing trouble.

But the reason she wanted to continue working part-time.

Kamian knew she wouldn't give him an honest answer even if he asked.

So he could only guess.

'It must be because of me.'

Annette and Kamian had been friends since they were young and had supported each other whenever they had a hard time.

Since she knew better than anyone that he was having a hard time because he failed to get a scholarship this time, she probably wanted to be there to support him.

Kamian was definitely grateful for that sentiment.

But like this.

'…It'll just be a nuisance.'

However, it was difficult to change her stubborn mind.

Ultimately, the only way was to raise his grades again and receive a scholarship.

But was that really possible?

The confidence and assurance Kamian had when he entered school was no longer there.

Even when he tried his best, his anxiety did not go away.

'No... I'm still only a first-year student.'

Kamian tried hard to calm his mind, but Max's words still came to his mind like an auditory hallucination.

'Do you get it now? You have no talent.'

'If this continues, you'll be ruined.'

'It's good to take care of your self-esteem, but think about your friends next to you too.'

'Ugh.'

Kamian frowned and collected his thoughts.

There was no need to even think about the nonsense that a person like that spouted off.

He must have done some background research to find a weak point among his juniors that he could shake up.

If it was the person Kamian had heard rumors about, then it was more than possible.

"Kamian?"

Annette looked at him with worried eyes.

Kamian's expression brightened.

"No problem, let's go."

If that person appeared again, Kamian would consistently ignore him completely from now on.

Kamian decided to do so.